Publications by authors named "R G Herz"
Humans have deliberately scented their environment for purpose or pleasure for millennia. In the contemporary marketplace most consumers prefer and purchase scented versions of common household products. However, the drivers of this consumer preference have not been elucidated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn public discourse, the sense of smell is typically characterized as the least important of the five senses. However, there are very little empirical data on this topic. Recently, much more attention has been brought to the sense of smell since olfactory dysfunction is a primary and often long-term symptom of COVID-19 infection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Circadian clocks regulate daily behaviors and neurophysiology in all animals, including humans, affecting sleep-wake cycles and cognitive functions.
- Many COVID-19 patients display neurological symptoms that may overlap with these daily rhythms, particularly in smell and sleep patterns.
- The authors suggest that better tracking of these rhythms could enhance the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 based on the connection between circadian functions and neurological effects.
Article Synopsis
- Healthcare workers (HCW) treating COVID-19 patients face a high risk of infection and the potential to spread the virus to vulnerable individuals, leading to this study examining the relationship between smell loss and SARS-CoV-2 infection.
- The research involved 473 HCW over three months, utilizing at-home smell assessments and symptom surveys to evaluate the predictive nature of smell loss for identifying COVID-19 cases, with findings indicating a higher prevalence of smell loss in infected HCW.
- Results revealed that 53% of SARS-CoV-2-positive HCW reported smell loss, often occurring before their positive test, suggesting that monitoring smell sensitivity could be an effective screening tool for asymptomatic infections in high-risk healthcare settings.
Background: Healthcare workers (HCW) treating COVID-19 patients are at high risk for infection and may also spread infection through their contact with vulnerable patients. Smell loss has been associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection, but it is unknown whether monitoring for smell loss can be used to identify asymptomatic infection among high risk individuals, like HCW.
Methods: We performed a prospective cohort study, tracking 473 HCW across three months to determine if smell loss could predict SARS-CoV-2 infection in this high-risk group.